King's Mission
by SulfuricOblivion
Summary: When Wulgar comes down with an incredibly fatal and contagious disease, it's up to Janine to find the ingredients for a potion to save him and the kingdom.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Heir Apparent and its character belong to Vivan Vande Velde. I own nothing.

"Are you sure that you wish to do this, Giannine?"

She smiled while taking off her denim jacket, and draping it over the leather couch in the lobby. Turning around to face her friend, Giannine laughed at the worried expression on his face. "Yes," she answered, without a waver of uncertainty in her tone of voice," I am positive." Pushing a lock of her dirty, blonde hair out of her eyes, she continued,"Besides, you and... the receptionist person-"

"Kendra," he said, cutting into my speech, a smirk finally appearing on his face.

Pouting she continued, "Whatever. You and her-"

"Kendra."

"Will you shut up a second so I can finish my statement?" His swift reply was a hearty laugh. Annoyed, Giannine sighed," As I was saying, you two made sure that all the damage done by the CPOC people was fixed. And, if my memory serves right, you and she both recorded everything I did, up until the point I won the game."

"That is true," Nigel said nodding," but we're still kind of unsure of what the outcome may be if we send you back into the Heir Apparent experience from right before you won the game." He sat down on the couch, looking over the blueprints from the game's design. "The experience is only supposed to last from when you are brought from the farm to the castle, to the ending where you are coronated. Despite creating the game myself, I am unsure of how this will end. She said-"

"Kendra."

Nigel narrowed his eyes, glaring a bit at the now laughing Giannine. "Yes, Kendra." He waited until her crackling resided into chuckling gasps to resume. "Anyways, Kendra said that if we changed the graphics, and added a bit more realism, we may be able to do it. Of course, I had to stay up all night for weeks to do this..."

"So I'm expecting this had better be near perfect," Giannine exclaimed, stifling a giggle at Nigel's annoyed look. Sighing, she seated herself next to him on the couch. "I'm just kidding Nigel," she said smiling. "Thank you for do all this for me, I really appreciate, despite my offbeat demeanor." She took this chance to hug him, which was returned. However, he stopped a few moments after, with her stopping after he mentioned,"Um...you can let go of me now?" A silence took place, along with a blushing Giannine standing up, brushing any dust off her jeans. "So," she said, breaking an awkward silence between them, "Can we get started now?"

"Um, yes," he replied. Giannine noticed a faint blush upon his checks as he walked past her. She snickered, and followed him to the Heir Apparent experience. He ran a hand through his black hair turning around. He opened his mouth, but she cut him off. "I'll be okay." Sighing, he shook his head and ushered her onto the platform. Taking the helmet, he carefully placed it over her head. "Good luck Giannine," he mumbled. Giannine smiled at this as her vision darkened and pixels started appearing.

"The names Janine," she murmured, barely conscious of what she was saying. "You should...know this....Kenric..."

**Dun, dun, duuuuuuuun!**

The haze clouding her vision disappeared, and Janine found herself kneeling on the ground. Her mind was still a bit warped, but a shake snapped her out of it. Janine looks up to see who it was and smiled. "Hello, Kenric," she said, trying mask the excitement in her voice of seeing him again.

A confused look appeared on his face, but only briefly before his impassive look returned. "Are you alright?" he asked, helping her up. Nodding her head Janine replied," Yes, merely stumbled upon my own feet." Blushing a bit she muttered, "Clumsy me." Smiling he held the goblet he was holding out to her. Janine heart missed a beat; it was the same goblet she had drunk before, right before her mind had gone into overload. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the thought, but stopped seeing the incredulous look on Kenric face. Blushing she stuttered,"F-fleas again..."

"Lovely," he said sighing. He closed his eyes and grinned. "I guess I shouldn't complain though, seeing as how they saved us before."

"Yeah," acknowledged Janine, even though she was lying through her teeth. Her attention was once again brought back to the goblet Kenric was offering her. "I don't really like mead," she stated. Kenric merely laughed at her statement.

"I remembered," he told her, handing her the goblet. "This is honey water."

"Thank you," Janine said, taking a sip of the drink. It was sweet, but tasted just like it did before. It seems Kenric isn't out to poison me once again, she though, smiling. Taking another sip, she nearly did a spit-take as someone bumped into her. Choking slightly, she turned to see who it was; the one and only, ridiculously dressed Sister Mary Ursula. "I am One with happy endings!" she cried, slipping away back into the crowd. Giggled slightly, Janine turned her attention back to the now annoyed Kenric. Although, seeing him shake his head mouthing a disrespectful "No" just made her giggle harder.

After a few minutes of Janine having a hell of a giggle fit, along with an annoyed Kenric stalking away from her, things were back to normal...or as normal as they were designed to be.

Janine whipped her head in all directions looking for the queen. Janine soon spotted her chatting away with King Grimbold. Walking calmly up to her she was greeted with a pleasant "Hello" from Grimbold and a glare from queen Andreanna. She ignored the expression given to her as she took her arm. "Excuse me your majesties. I would like to speak to my mother about my coronation."

Apparently Grimbold missed the desperate look from Andreanna as he replied, "Well, go right ahead, King Janine. Just be sure to bring this pretty, lil' thing back." Janine stifled a laugh as she heard queen Andreanna hack. "Of course," she called out to him as she ushered queen Andreanna into an empty hall. Thoroughly annoyed at the behavior she was shown, queen Andreanna shook off Janine and scowled at her.

"You better have a good explanation for this, sheep girl!" she exclaimed, temper rising every second. Janine reached into her pocket and took out the ring. Holding it up so she could see it, Janine said,"Andreanna, take the ring." She did so without hesitation; Janine smirked as she slipped it on her finger. "You will treat me fairly, will not incite your sons to rebel against me," pausing, Janine gave a hearty laugh at the stoned look upon Andreanna's face."And you will not tell anyone what has occurred here tonight."

Andreanna was silent for a few moments, looking back from the ring to Janine and then back to the ring again. "I hate you..." she finally muttered.

"I know," replied Janine, walking back into the Great Hall. She looked back to where Andreanna appearing, storming off, and accidently bumped into someone. "Sorry!" she quickly replied to the man. Xenos turned around and stared at her for a while, slowly munching on his caterpillars. "Those are still my boots."

Sighing, Janine turned around and started walking back to her chamber to change. "I know, I know," she called back to him. Stepping over the drunken guests, Janine made her way to her room. She opened the door and walking in, poking her head in. "Ghosts?" She hesitantly called. No reply. Smiling, Janine walked in and locked the door. _It seems they have finally left_, she gladly thought. Slipping out of the page's uniform, Janine donned a red evening gown. It's silk felt smooth against her skin, a different, yet delightful change from the rough outfit she had been forced to wear. She paused in front of the mirror and sighed. Things were finally going right. The dragon was turned to gold, and her mother would not plot against her. Taking a pair of flats from the chest, Janine sat down and took off Xeno's seven-league boots.

Sighing, Janine shook her head and laid the boots aside. How useful they had been, despite the trouble to get them. Millions of caterpillars would be dead, but at least the treasure was returned and the kingdom was safe from Grimbold and his barbarian army. Slipping on the shoes, Janine stood up. She walked back to the Great Hall, the seven-league boots under her arms. It may as well have been an adventure just getting there though; tripping down stairs a few times because of a long dress was not making this a pleasant night. Neither had Xeno's "About time" at the return of his boots.

Despite his complaining, Janine thought what she did afterwards was a good thing and something he most definitely deserved. Besides, that honey water was not the most pleasant thing in the world to drink and it did make his balding head look shinier.

Author's note:

Just wanted to say this my first fan fiction, so I'm not expecting it to be good. The only reason I'm writing this is because someone said I should. Also, made up the name Kendra for the lady since she has no name. Finally, just wanted to say that later chapters will have Janine searching the country side for potion ingrediens.

Reviewers get cookies.


	2. Chapter 2

*hands out cookies* Thanks for reviewing and reading everyone!

Disclaimer: I do not own Heir Apparent or any of its characters. Vivian Vandle Vedla does.

Janine kept her breath steady as she hid behind the pillar in the west wing hall. Stifling the giggle stuck in her throat, she kept quiet and listened.

"Janine, when I find you, I'll cast a curse on you! Do you hear me!?"

Finally allowing herself a chuckle, Janine dashed off down the hall, looking for a hiding spot. It had been well over an hour after Janine had poured the honey water on Xeno's head, yet he seemed bent on making her pay. Letting out an especially loud laugh, Janine stumbled. Catching herself, she picked up the pace of her sprint, rounding the corner. She sprinted down the stoned passage way, thankful that the sound of her flats pounding against the brittle stones was subtle. Leaning against the stone wall, Janine listened once more for sounds of an incoming Xeno, but all was silent.

Sighing from relief, Janine slid down the gravel surface, and sat down. Sitting up straight, Janine let out a yawn and looked around.

There were many parts of the castle she had yet to explore. Might as well be a good time to explore the west wing, thought Janine. After stretching her arms momentarily, Janine slowly stood up and glanced around once more. A second glimpse showed that this was probably a passageway that hadn't been explored in a while. Straining her eyes in the dim light, illuminated by cracks in the wall, Janine could see spider webs on the ceiling and walls. This place is disgusting, though Janine as she stepped away from the structure. Squinting her eyes once more, Janine began walking through the fairly pitch-black hallway.

The place was quiet dusty, and Janine had to stop once or twice to cough. Even once, she had to stop and swat what she believed to be a spider out of her hair. It was too dark to know for sure. At some point, the light was too dim and Janine had to lean against the wall, despite the dirtiness of it, so she wouldn't stumble. After what seemed like an eternity of blind shuffling, Janine finally stopped and crashed into a wall.

Holding her head, Janine sat up and let out a soft "Ow". She looked up at the structure she had walked into and noticed that there was a faint glow in the shape of a rectangle on it. Crawling next to the wall, she used it as a support when lifting herself off the ground. Janine felt around, and smirked when her hands ran along a knob. Twisting the door handle, Janine opened the door and stood dumbfounded.

The faint glow that she saw from under the crack in the door was coming from some strange, glowing mixtures in bottles and goblets. Glancing around, Janine noted that this was a barely furnished room. Aside from a table from which the glasses of potions lurked and from a few stray shields, the room was basically bare. Hesitantly, Janine walked towards the table and gazed into one of the goblets. There was a sort of rack holding a few of them over the others. "Well, this is certainly strange..." muttered Janine as she pondered over what she was seeing. Reaching out, Janine lightly tapped one of the overhead bottles and jumped and gasped as the bottom of the glass broke. Janine watched silently, as the mixture from the top bottle mixed in with the mixture from the goblet bellow it. Aw crap! thought Janine as she saw that the goblet was visibly shaking and that foam was bubbling up in it.

Whipping her head around, Janine's eyes spotted a tiny, almost miniature shield. She grabbed it and held it over the goblet, while also keeping a tight grasp on the goblet to make sure that its contents would not tip over. Her heart was pounding, and her eyes were beginning to tear up. Come on, she thought. Don't let me die now, not after I worked so hard!

To her relief, the goblet vibrating soon ceased and it no longer bubbled. However, if you looked close enough, you could still see tiny ripples in the mixture inside. Janine sighed with relief, deciding that it would probably be best to return to the party, in case anyone is curious of her absence. She walked out of the room, making sure to close the door behind her, and restarted her journey through the pitch-black hallway.

Walking up the stairs, Janine made a mental note to check with Sir Demming about her discovery. Was certainly an odd room, pondered Janine. However, with her mind in deep thought, Janine was barely aware of her surroundings. This made it not so difficult to run into someone.

"Sorry!" she cried as she sat up, staring at the now surprised King Grimbold.

Letting out a hearty laugh, he replied saying, "Why that's all right." Janine smiled and accepted his hand as he pulled her up. However, a certain piece of jewelry caught her attention. "Where did you get that?" she asked, trying to keep the nervousness out of her tone. Grimbold tilted his head and grinned.

"From the queen m'dear. She asked me to pull it off her finger, and gave me it as a thank you."

"And, just where is my mother?"

Ignoring the fact that Janine had just wretched her hand out of his grasp, King Grimbold just beamed and replied," Me thinks she be in her chambers- oi, where are you going?" However, his question was caught on deaf ears, for Janine was already down the hall, rushing towards queen Andreanna's room.

Authors Note: And the plot thickens...wait, there was a plot?

No, Wulgar is not sick yet, but he'll met the cause of his illness shortly, I promise. Also, just wanted to say that I figured I'd update regularly on Wednesday. Just a little heads up.

Reviewers get cookies.


	3. Chapter 3

*hands out cookies to reviewers and readers* Thanks everyone!

Disclaimer: Vivian Vande Velde owns Heir Apparent and its characters. I own nothing.

* * *

Her heart beat pounded fiercely as she ran through the hallways. She gasped in relief as she saw her mother's room. Although, Janine hesitated knocking on the door as she willed her legs to stop sprinting. _What lies has she spun?_ thought Janine. Shaking her head to rid herself of said thoughts, Janine pounded on the door. She held her breath as the door creaked opened, only to sigh in relief as a maid's figure was shown through the crack in the door. Although, her relief soon turned into despair. Queen Andreanna wasn't in her quarters. _Oh no, where is she?_ thought Janine. _Is she confessing to people what I have done to her?_ The maid must have seen the distress in Janine's facial expression and body expressions for she fully opened the door and asked in a nervous, almost scared voice, "Is something wrong, King Janine?"

Quickly regaining her posture and putting an impassive expression, Janine replied, "Yes, nothing to worry over." Faking a smile, Janine peered around the maid's shoulder and looked around the room once more. Looking back at her, Janine questioned, "Do you know where my mother may have gone."

"Yes," replied the maid. Sighing, she continued, "Are you curious about the coronation? Is that why you seem so distressed?" Nodding at her question, Janine listened silently as she started talking again. "Oh, well, she must have thought that you would come to ask about it, for she went looking for you." Janine said muttered a thank you, and started walking away. _That means that she could be anywhere in the castle_, thought Janine glumly. However, her moping was cut short for the maid called out to her saying that she had seen her walking towards the west wing. _What business does she have in the west wing?_ Janine questioned. Taking in a deep breath, Janine started another sprint, this time, back to the room she wanted to stay away from.

_Today just isn't my day_, thought Janine sadly after she tripped down the stairs once more. Letting out a soft groan, she shakily stood up, leaning against the stoned wall. Squinting her eyes in the darkened, Janine started walking through the darkened hallway once more. Just like before, once the light was too dim to see, Janine used the wall as a support. However, once Janine neared the end of the seemingly endless hallway, pale light was shown. As Janine neared the source of the light, she saw that the door to the room was halfway opened. Janine slided through the door and closed it. As she turned around she slightly yelped.

"What is this?" questioned Queen Andreanna as she glared at her daughter. Janine's attention was then stolen by the goblet in Queen Andreanna's hand. _Is that the same goblet that I accidently mixed?_ However, as Janine opened her mouth to respond, Andreanna cut her off. "Don't answer it, sheep girl." Slightly pouting at the nickname, Janine crossed her arms and sighed. "What do you want?" she asked.

Tossing back her head, Queen Andreanna strutted over to where Janine stood and practically shoved the goblet at her. "Dispose of this." Shoving Janine out of her way, Queen Andreanna walked out of the room, slamming the door shut. Glancing at the contents of the goblet, Janine confirmed her fears; it was the same goblet that had the mixed potions in it. Well, at least it'll be gone, thougnt Janine as she walked out of the room.

Thankfully, despite her normal clumsiness, Janine did not spill the contents of the goblet as she walked through the darkened hall. Janine walked into the Great Hall, and whipped her head around for Sir Demming. Figuring he'd might have an idea of a place to dispose of the waste, Janine was bent on finding him. However, after an hour of searching, her determination was soon destroyed. Sighing, Janine sat down on one of the seats. Setting the glass down on the table, Janine mused over the day's events.

"Having a good time?" Startled by the voice, Janine jumped out of the seat. She whipped her head in the direction the sound originated from, and gasped.

"H-hello Xenos," stuttered Janine, backing away slowly. Xenos growled, but his attention was caught by the goblet. He smirked and grabbed it before Janine could stop him. He turned his back to her, and Janine struggled to look over his shoulder. She heard him muttering some words in an odd language, and, before she knew it, the goblet was shoved towards her once more.

"Drink," he said, his smirk growing larger. Janine took a sniff of the goblet and almost gagged from its fowl stench. "I'll pass," she said laying the goblet down on the table. Growling, Xenos strutted towards her, only to make Janine walk backwards. Suddenly, they heard a-

"Hey! What it!" They both turned to face the voice. Wulgar was holding a tray full of goblets and glasses of wine and mead. A waiter stood next to him, apologizing, only to have Wulgar wave off his statements. He stole a goblet from the tray, and handed the rest of them to the waiter. However, all of this was oblivious to Xenos and Janine, for their attention was caught by a more important matter.

_The goblet was gone! Did the waiter pick it up?_ Janine thought. Rushing at the waiter, she glanced at all the goblets and sighed in despair. None of them contained the potion and enchantment placed on it by Xenos. "Where is the goblet that was on the table?" she quickly asked the waiter.

"It should be on here, King Janine," replied the waiter. Janine whipped her head in Xenos' direction and shook her violently shook her head at him. He said something, however, whatever it was could not be heard over loud cough.

Looking around the waiter, Janine saw Wulgar glaring at the goblet. "This is the worst mead I have ever tasted," he stated. "Oh no…" she heard Xenos mutter.

* * *

Author's Note:

Hmm, looks like we now know the cause of Wulgar's illness.

Reviewers get cookies.


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